Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-05-28
GIVE THE DEAD A CHANCE.

1t is discreditabIe toour civilization that
the taste for sensationalism has such
morbid growth among American commune
ties. The readiness to meanly question :;
to entertain foul suspicion; to accept the
charges of the vicious as truth and proofs :;
to blacken reputation upon slightest pre-
text, is growing alarmingly.
Among large class of people man
will be accorded very little more charity
who is simply charged with malfeasance or
heinous offense, no matter what the char
acter of the slanderer who prefers the
calumny, than his fellow who is positively
known to be guilty, and stands confesSedly
infamous.
This appears to have been the method of
Judgment applied to the character of dead
Mrs Billion, by disgracefully large por-
ton of the communicated it is with a
sense of shame that those who value char
acter as precious beyond estimate are
driven to acknowledge the humiliating
fact.
Here is a woman whose life for all its
years was without reproach whose profess
sion and practice was that of the devout
and God fearing; who had raised large
family with credit to the State and honor
to her womanhood. She dies at the hands
of Chinese assassin, who attempts to de-
fend himself by saying he had discovered
this aged lady in questionable relation
with male employc of the farm, who
threatened him with harm for his discov-
cry, whereupon the assassin, at consider
ably distant subsequent date, shoots at the
man from ambush, and by accident as he
alleges, kills the woman.
This precious fiction being given to the
public ear by-a too ready press, host of
people Immediately assume that there is
basis of truth for the story, and proceed
to express doubts of the virtue of the vic
tim of the murderer, her lips being sealed
by death against denial
The story should rather have called
forth from every man in the land hot pro-
test. That it has been received with
something akin to eagerness to hear i'll of
the dead is, we repeat, discreditable to our
civilization.
The Chinese are of race that holds
that man and woman can associate under
no circumstances, outside of the domestic
circle, without the woman suffering dis
credit Such is their teaching The lady
who receives visitor at her home save in
the presence of her husband, incurs the
suspicion of her Chinese servant that her
conduct is immoral, and he is free TO ex-
press it to his fellows According to Chi
nese and japanese ethics the most ordi-
cary call by any man upon any woman is
an offense against virtue.
In the mouth of such witness the char
aeter of Mrs Billion, whose voice is stilled
against her defamer, is smirched and
dragged in the public dirt of street scan
dial. 1t seems rot to be enough to know
that the wretch who assailed her, coached
by his eountrymen and given aid and COM
fort by an officious Consul, hopes by this
dastardly assault to excuse his horrible
crime. 1t seems to be lost sight of that he
Is in reason and law presumed to have had
vicious motive 1t appears to be ignored
that the murderer, after Staying the mother
and firing four shots at his victims, also
fired thrice or oftener at her daughter, and
then attempted to brain her with an ak.
The fact that the wretch stultifes himself
by declaring that the lady was a good
woman and his benefactor is dropped out
of sight. Her reputation among the peo-
pie for upright walk and virtuous conduct
all her life is put aside, and eager ear is
given to the concocted story of the misera-
bic Chinaman who slew her.
Hong Di will "haye chance: . no one,
SO far as we have heard, mas even sought TO
infringe upon his right to a trial and
full and patient hearing, and the law
guarantees it to him.
That the neighbors of his victim feel
that his infamous charge is baser than the
crime of murder is natural, and does credit
to the charity, honesty and manliness Of
the people of Colusa county. To their
everlasting credit be it said, they lost not
moment in stamping the story of the
murderer as an infamous Islander.
''Give the Chinaman chance" of course